Cologne/Bonn Airport Long queues and a lot of waiting time in front of the security checks
Bonn · Long queues in front of security checks pushed Cologne/Bonn Airport to its limits at the end of the week. In the coming weeks, the airport expects the number of passengers to continue to rise.
There were very long queues and corresponding waiting times in front of the security checks at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Thursday and Friday last week. "I have never experienced anything like it," said Lena Meyer from Bonn, who was flying to visit a friend in Vienna on Friday afternoon. The queue had stretched from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. Crying families were afraid they would miss their flight. Other passengers had grown angry about the long waiting time: they had thrown plastic bottles on the floor. There were hardly any staff available to give information. Several flights took off with considerable delays.
Christian Tiemann, spokesman for the federal police at Cologne/Bonn Airport, attributes the problems to a lack of staff at the private security company responsible for handling the checks. The security service provider had staff shortages due to illness at short notice and could not compensate for them so quickly. Among the reasons for the waiting times, he also cited an increased volume of travellers and flights within a short time window.
Number of passengers continues to rise
Contrary to what many people believe, the number of passengers at Cologne/Bonn Airport did not drop again after the end of the Easter holidays. As airport spokesman Alexander Weise explains, it will probably continue to rise slightly in the coming weeks. The airport is in communication with the Federal Police and all service providers to ensure smooth handling. A host of measures have already been taken. However, there may still be a hitch now and then in the ramp-up of processes after the Corona period. Easter travel itself went quite smoothly, he said. Before the Easter holidays, the airport and the Federal Police had already asked travellers to be at the airport on time.
"As the Federal Police, we are particularly responsible for the safety of travellers," said Tiemann. Therefore, ensuring security has the highest priority. However, travellers could contribute to a significant acceleration of the control processes by being well prepared.
"We therefore advise passengers to minimise hand luggage they are carrying if possible and to limit it to one piece of hand luggage," said the Federal Police spokesperson at the airport. It is also helpful if passengers have all liquids (up to one litre in containers of no more than 100 millilitres, packed in a resealable liquids bag) as well as electronic devices such as laptops, tablets or even smartphones ready to hand before the aviation security check and present them separately for inspection.
Be well prepared
Furthermore, it is an advantage if jackets or coats are already taken off before the check and can thus be presented separately without further delay. It is also advisable to have the necessary travel documents, such as passport, identity card or residence permit, ready to hand when going through passport control for departure to third countries.
In the case of minors travelling with only one of two legal guardians, this also includes the declaration of consent of the legal guardian who is not present. In this way, not only the passenger saves time - the other travellers also benefit from a faster control process, says Tiemann.
At Düsseldorf Airport, too, there were very long waiting times at the security checkpoints late on Friday afternoon because there were too few staff.
Original text: Claudia Mahnke / Mareike Graepel
